Champions. Leaders. Standouts in the classroom.
In every way possible, the Hillsdale College women's tennis team's class of 2020 exceeded the expectations set for them when they became Chargers four years ago.
And while the Covid-19 pandemic kept Katie Bell (Carlisle, Cumbria, England/Queen Elizabeth Grammar School) and Kamryn Matthews (Midland, MI/Dow) from getting the full senior season they deserved, what the pair was able to achieve in the time they did have will leave a legacy for classes to come.
The pair helped Hillsdale win back-to-back Great Midwest Athletic Conference titles in 2018 and 2019, helped the program make its first ever NCAA Division II tournament appearance in 2018, and led the program to their highest ever Midwest Regional Ranking (sixth) and ITA National ranking (43rd), while also helping the team post the highest GPA among Hillsdale College athletic programs in each of the last two seasons.
Today, on what would have been their senior day match against Walsh if the season had proceeded as planned, Hillsdale College honors Bell and Matthews for everything they've accomplished in the last four years as Chargers.
A key contributor from the moment she stepped on campus in the fall of 2016, Bell was first or second team all-conference for the Chargers in each of her first three years with the program, and was on track to make it 4-for-4 this spring before the cancellation of the season.
Playing matches in each of the top four singles flights at various times throughout her career, as well as a consistent presence in doubles action, Bell posted a 30-13 record in singles matches in duals, and a 58-36 overall record in singles and doubles matches.
She helped spearhead the program's transition into the G-MAC, winning both singles and doubles matches in the G-MAC championship match as a sophomore to secure the Chargers' first-ever conference championship in women's tennis.
During her career, she was named G-MAC Player of the Week for women's tennis four times. Bell has played her best tennis when it really counted, earning wins in several key regional and conference matches for the Chargers and having the most success of anyone on Hillsdale's team in the fall ITA Regional tourney, winning the doubles B draw as a junior.
A biochemistry major, Bell also is an excellent student on top of her tennis acumen, making the ITA All-Academic team in both 2017 and 2019. After graduating from Hillsdale this spring, she's planning to return home to England to pursue a graduate degree.
Throughout her four-year career, Matthews has been a versatile and skillful player for the Hillsdale College women's tennis team, achieving great success wherever she's playing in the lineup.
Posting a 72-28 record in singles and doubles matches in duals, Matthews is someone that her teammates could count on to pick up critical points against tough regional and conference foes, regardless of the opponent she was up against.
And like her teammate, Katie Bell, Matthews saved her best tennis for the biggest moments, going 3-1 in NCAA Tournament matches and earning the clinching point in a victory over a nationally ranked Wayne St. team in 2017-18 that was the highest-rated team the Chargers had beaten in a dual match up to that point.
Matthews earned second-team All-G-MAC honors as both a sophomore and junior, playing a critical role on back-to-back conference championship teams, and also earned three G-MAC Women's Tennis Player of the Week honors over the course of her career.
A top-notch student, Matthews was named to the 2019 ITA All-Academic team, and will graduate this spring with a degree in exercise science. Passionate about fitness, Matthews has used her education to get involved in the Hillsdale community, teaching exercise classes at the Roche Sports Complex, and she hopes to continue on that path with a career in a health-related field after graduation.
Both Bell and Matthews have helped the Charger women's tennis program grow from a young squad not even a decade old and still finding its footing to a championship-caliber squad capable of competing with the best in the Midwest over their four seasons here.
Hillsdale College will be forever grateful for their contributions to both the women's tennis program and the College at large, and wishes them the best of luck as they move forward into what is sure to be a bright future for both women.
Thank you, Katie and Kamryn, and charge on!
Photo: (from left) Katie Bell and Kamryn Matthews